“Baekhyun!” Shouts of concern echoed throughout the chapel when Baekhyun collapsed, the group at the door running forward to reach their friends. Thankfully, Chanyeol managed to catch him as he fell. He laid Baekhyun carefully on the ground, mindful of the injuries, cradling his boyfriend’s head in his lap. Glancing up briefly, he noticed that Yunho was gone, but didn’t dwell on it; Baekhyun was his focus now.

Placing a hand on Baekhyun’s forehead, Chanyeol frowned at how hot it was, his hair matted with sweat. Brushing the damp fringe gently out of Baekhyun’s face, Chanyeol leaned down to kiss the warm skin lightly. Closing his eyes, he whispered, “Baekhyun… please, please be okay.”

Hearing the others approach, Chanyeol finally tore his eyes away from Baekhyun. Tao was at Baekhyun’s side in a second, kneeling down beside Chanyeol. Kyungsoo hovered over them worriedly, while the others tried not to crowd them despite their own worry.

“What the hell happened?” Tao cried, taking in Baekhyun’s state. He turned to Chanyeol. “Is he okay? Is he hurt? Are you okay?”

“Tao, calm down,” Suho said, though he didn’t look very calm himself. “Are you two hurt?”

“I’m fine,” Chanyeol replied, despite the pounding in his head. “Baekhyun… he took a pretty bad hit. Before he passed out, he said his arm was hurt – it might be broken. He’s got a head injury too. I’m not sure where else he might be hurt, but for now I just want to get him out of here. Please? I’ll explain what happened later.”

“Yeah, of course,” Kyungsoo agreed. He looked to Tao, who nodded in silent understanding. The pair of them helped Chanyeol carefully lift Baekhyun, and together they took him out to one of the cars.

Suho gave quick instructions to the others before following, “I’ll go with them, we need to find a hospital and get him checked out. Kris, can you take care of things here? Get things cleaned up as fast as possible, and let Dana know we had to leave. I’ll let you know what hospital we’re at so you guys can meet us.”

“Go, I’ll get things wrapped up here,” Kris nodded. He turned to the others. “Come on, start getting this equipment down.”

“But…” Minseok stared as Suho left the church, biting his lip. Jongdae clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Let’s go, Min,” Jongdae said, though he sympathized with his friend. “I know you’re worried, but there’s nothing else we can do right now; he’s in good hands.”

With that, the team went about packing everything up. Kris made a quick call to Dana, letting her know that something had come up. He didn’t give her many details (seeing as he didn’t have any to give, really), just let her know that one of their investigators had been injured. He wasn’t sure how he was going to explain the damage to the room when she saw it, but he’d worry about that later.

The team packed in record time, arriving at the hospital a little more than an hour after the others had. They found an anxious Suho, Kyungsoo, and Tao sitting in the waiting room, with no news as of yet on Baekhyun’s condition. Kris and Kai immediately went to their respective partners, both men distressed at not knowing the extent of their best friend’s injuries. Everyone else claimed their own seats nearby to wait – thankfully, things weren’t too busy this late at night, so there was room for all of them.

“Where is Chanyeol?” Sehun asked after a moment, noticing the man’s absence. He could imagine Chanyeol not wanting to leave Baekhyun’s side, but he doubted the doctors actually would have allowed that.

“He started pacing the room once they took Baekhyun back, and after a few minutes we noticed he looked a bit dizzy,” Suho replied, shaking his head. “He finally admitted to having a head injury of his own, so we got a nurse to take him back to get checked out as well. That was… half an hour ago, I think?”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo confirmed. “Haven’t heard anything since. I mean… we know it’s nothing life threatening of course, I’m sure they’ll both be fine, but it’s nerve-wracking waiting anyway.”

“Did you get anything out of Chanyeol about what exactly happened?” Kris asked. They could only guess based on what they had seen from the window; none of them knew for sure how the investigation had turned into such a nightmare.

“No… he didn’t really say much of anything, actually,” Tao replied. He leaned his head on Kris’s shoulder, eyes still red from crying earlier. “Not that I blame him; I don’t think I’d be very talkative either if it were you in the hospital.”

“No, I suppose not,” Kris agreed, shuddering at the thought of Tao getting hurt on the job. The scariest part was knowing that no matter how much he wanted to protect Tao, the reality was that there was little he could do in a situation like this. They had all seen ghosts slam doors and move objects, but they had never seen anything like Heechul. He had been incredibly powerful, and even if they had all been in that room with Baekhyun, chances are they wouldn’t have been able to do much of anything to stop the ghost from hurting him. They were beyond lucky that things hadn’t turned out worse, and it was a sobering thought.

“What I don’t get,” Luhan chimed in, “Is what happened at the end there. I’m glad Heechul was stopped in time to save Baekhyun, but those other… people that appeared, they were ghosts too right? Why did they help, do you think?”

“Well…” Kyungsoo said, thinking for a moment. “It’s hard to say without knowing the full story, but I think at least one of them must have been Yunho.”

Kai raised an eyebrow at that. “His dead uncle came back to save him?”

“That’s the part you think is too crazy?” Jongdae asked. “Not the angry, homicidal ghost who tried to kill him or the centuries-old curse on his family?”

“I guess when you put it like that,” Kai replied, rolling his eyes. “The whole thing is unbelievable, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. What did you guys tell the hospital anyway? They must have asked how he got hurt, right?”

“Oh, uh, I said he fell down the stairs,” Suho said, shrugging. “It was the most plausible thing I could come up with that didn’t involve ghosts and would explain a potential broken arm and concussion. I don’t know what Chanyeol told them about his head.”

“Good, hopefully they won’t question it then,” Kris said. “The last thing we need is the hospital staff thinking we’re crazy or something.”

The group fell silent after that, all of them still processing the night’s events. After a few minutes, the doors leading to the patient wards swung open, causing everyone to look up. Chanyeol entered the room, looking annoyed but less worried than he had been before. He had a bandage wrapped around his forehead, but was otherwise fine. Seeing that the others had arrived in his absence he gave them a weak smile, walking over to take the empty seat next to Suho with a sigh.

“Hey, you okay?” Kyungsoo asked, offering a halfhearted smile in return. “I’m guessing your head isn’t too bad, if they’re not keeping you.”

“No, it’s fine,” Chanyeol replied, shaking his head. “Got a nasty bump, and a few bruises elsewhere, but somehow I avoided a concussion or anything.”

“That’s good,” Suho said, patting Chanyeol’s shoulder comfortingly. “Any news on Baekhyun?”

“Yeah, they wouldn’t tell me much though, since I’m not family,” Chanyeol said, rolling his eyes. “They wouldn’t let me see him yet either, but they said he’ll be alright. The doctor said he has a mild concussion, so they’re keeping him for observation overnight at least, maybe longer depending on his condition. He hasn’t woken up yet, but they said it’s most likely just the stress and exhaustion from the injuries.”

“What about his arm? You said before it might be broken?” Tao asked, leaning forward in his seat to look at Chanyeol. He was relieved to hear for sure that Baekhyun would be okay though, having been worried sick about his friend.

“Not sure,” Chanyeol shrugged. “I think they only told me as much as they did because I wouldn’t stop asking. The nurse who bandaged my head said they’d update us on his condition once they got in touch with his mom.”

“Oh… okay.” Tao went back to resting against Kris, the taller man wrapping an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders.

The group waited in relative silence, no one feeling much like making small talk. Another fifteen minutes went by before a nurse finally entered the waiting room. “Mr. Park?”

“Yeah?” Chanyeol perked up, standing to greet her. The others did the same, eager to hear something about their friend.

“You’re here for Mr. Byun, correct?” The nurse, whose nametag read Nicole, asked. She eyed the group in front of her. “His mother only mentioned Mr. Park, but I’m guessing you’re all his friends?”

“Yeah, we brought him in,” Suho confirmed. “How is he?”

“Well, he took a pretty nasty fall,” Nicole said, frowning. “He’s got a minor fracture in his left arm, a mild concussion, and a few bruised ribs on his left side, along with some smaller cuts and bruises. All things considered though, his injuries aren’t too bad. He’ll be alright, he’s just going to have to take it easy for a while. They’ve put a splint on his arm already, and the doctor wants to keep him overnight to make sure there are no complications from the concussion, but if all goes well he’ll be discharged tomorrow.”

“Can we see him?” Chanyeol asked, Tao nodding along behind him. They would all feel better when they could see Baekhyun was okay with their own eyes.

“These aren’t exactly normal visiting hours…” Nicole said, glancing at the clock on the wall nearby. It was past one in the morning already. Looking back at the group in front of her, she sighed, noticing the pleading look Chanyeol was giving her. “You’re his… boyfriend, right? Sometimes we do allow family to stay overnight with patients, but since his family isn’t here I guess I can make an exception for you. Only you, though – I would suggest the rest of you go get some sleep and come back in the morning, visiting hours start at eight.”

Tao pouted at that, but it was at least better than Baekhyun being left alone. He supposed he could wait until morning. Chanyeol beamed at her, glad he would finally be able to see Baekhyun. “Thank you!”

Nicole smiled back, shaking her head at his sudden mood change. She waved for him to say goodbye to his friends first, walking over to the doors to wait for him.

“Take care of him, and yourself,” Tao said, patting Chanyeol lightly on the back. He glanced over at Kris, “We’ll be back first thing in the morning, right?”

“Yes Tao,” Kris replied, knowing the other man would make sure they were at the hospital promptly at eight.

“Try to get some rest yourself, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo said. He doubted Chanyeol would though, recalling the night at the hotel when he stayed up all night watching over Baekhyun.

“I will,” Chanyeol said, more to satisfy Kyungsoo than anything.  Even if he tried, he doubted he’d be able to sleep until Baekhyun was awake, at least.

The others said their goodbyes as well; they were all a bit reluctant to leave without seeing their friend, but filed out at Suho’s urging. Once they had left, Nicole motioned for Chanyeol to follow her, leading him to the room that Baekhyun was in.

“There’s an empty bed in here you can sleep in if you get tired,” Nicole said, holding the door open for Chanyeol to enter. “Let someone know if he wakes up, the doctor will want to check on him.”

“Yeah, of course,” Chanyeol nodded. He thanked Nicole again as she left the room, then went to sit in the chair next to Baekhyun’s bed.

Chanyeol placed his hand on Baekhyun’s good one, lacing their fingers together as he took in his boyfriend’s appearance. Baekhyun looked paler than usual against the crisp, white hospital sheets, but the expression on his face was peaceful. As if his body was just finally taking the time to recover from all of the stress he had been under lately.  Even so, the splint covering his left arm and the bandage around his forehead made Chanyeol’s heart clench, serving as reminders of the injuries Baekhyun had endured. Chanyeol had promised to keep him safe, but in the end he had been able to do nothing. It was only thanks to Yunho and Hangeng that Baekhyun was alive, and though Chanyeol was beyond grateful for that, he hated that he hadn’t even been able to keep Baekhyun from getting hurt before Yunho could intervene.

Bowing his head forward, Chanyeol pressed a light kiss to the hand he was holding, then rested his cheek against it. He relished in the other man’s presence, even if they hadn’t been apart for long, and felt the familiar stinging behind his eyes as tears began to spill. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, the reality that he could have lost Baekhyun began to sink in. In the short time they had known each other, and even shorter time they had been together, Chanyeol had found himself falling more and more in love. He couldn’t imagine what he would have done if he’d lost Baekhyun now, knowing that somehow the older man had fallen in love with him too. A smile broke through the tears as he recalled Baekhyun’s words, the words that had broken the curse… “I still don’t know why you chose me, or what you saw in me that made you want to change, but I’m so happy; happy that I got to see your smile, that you were able to open up to me,  that you accepted me as your friend, and your teammate, and even your lover. I love you Baekhyun, and I’m so sorry you got hurt. Wake up soon so I can tell you that, yeah?”

Chanyeol stayed like that for a while, just taking comfort in his boyfriend’s presence beside him. It was close to an hour later when Baekhyun’s eyelids began to flutter, the world around him slowly coming into focus. It took a few seconds for him to recognize where he was, head still foggy from the pain medicine they had given him. He glanced to his right when he noticed a pressure on his hand, lips quirking when he saw Chanyeol. Baekhyun tried to say something to get his attention, but his throat was still sore from the smoke. All that came out was a quiet, raspy noise, but it was enough; Chanyeol quickly looked up to find Baekhyun staring back at him.

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol grinned, relieved to see Baekhyun’s eyes open. “You’re awake! How do you feel?”

Baekhyun swallowed before attempting to speak again. His voice was quiet, but he managed to get the words out this time, “I’m a bit hazy, but okay… I’m guessing that will change when whatever medicine they gave me wears off, but for now I’m fine. Are you okay?”

“You’re the one in the hospital bed, don’t worry about me,” Chanyeol said, squeezing Baekhyun’s hand lightly. Baekhyun’s eyes wandered to the bandages around Chanyeol’s head and the taller man sighed. “I promise I’m fine, it’s just a little bump. No concussion or anything, which is more than I can say for you.”

“Good,” Baekhyun replied, glad that Chanyeol hadn’t been hurt too badly; he would have never been able to forgive himself if that had happened. He lifted his left arm slightly, feeling the weight of the splint. “Guess that podium didn’t really agree with me.”

“No,” Chanyeol chuckled, a little amazed that Baekhyun was being so positive. “You bruised a few ribs too, so be careful moving when you can feel again.”

“Great, that should be fun,” Baekhyun said, mouth twisting ruefully. He had a feeling that his friends – Chanyeol especially – wouldn’t be letting him do much of anything for the next couple of weeks. “How long am I in here for?”

“Hey, it won’t be that bad – you’ll be under the excellent care of Park Chanyeol,” Chanyeol said, glad when the smile returned to Baekhyun’s face. “Hopefully just overnight, as long as there aren’t any problems. You’ve got a concussion, so they want to monitor your brain functions and all that, I guess, to make sure it isn’t bad. Uh… speaking of, I was supposed to get someone when you woke up, so they could check on that.”

“Well, my ‘brain functions’ as you put it seem fine to me,” Baekhyun said. His thoughts weren’t as foggy anymore from the drugs either, though that also meant he was starting to feel the ache in his arm and side. “But I guess the doctor would know best.”

“I’ll go see if I can find someone.” Chanyeol got up from his seat, squeezing Baekhyun’s hand once more before heading for the door. He was reluctant to leave his boyfriend’s side, but it would only be for a few minutes. “I’ll be back in a sec.”

Baekhyun nodded, watching Chanyeol leave. Once the taller man was gone Baekhyun sighed, letting his smile drop. He was happy that things had finally been resolved, and that they had both come out of it relatively intact, but it was still a lot to take in. He hadn’t even had time to wonder about Yunho yet, or think about what had happened with Heechul and Hangeng. Baekhyun wasn’t sure how much his friends knew either, and he hoped that Tao and the others weren’t sitting somewhere worrying about him all night. And then there was Chanyeol… he had admitted to loving the other man, and he meant it wholeheartedly, but what did that mean for them? Where did their relationship go from here? It was a lot to think about, and without Chanyeol there to distract him it all came rushing through his head. It definitely wasn’t helping his throbbing headache, which only got worse as the medication wore off more and more.

Eventually Chanyeol found Nicole in the hallway, who quickly got the doctor for him. Within a few minutes he was back in the room and at Baekhyun’s side, trying to be supportive while staying out of the way as the doctor asked questions about Baekhyun’s memory and other cognitive functions. When he was finished, the doctor told them that there didn’t seem to be any problems, and that he would be back tomorrow to check on Baekhyun once more before discharging him. He also gave Baekhyun another dose of pain medication, warning him that it would probably put him to sleep.

“So, did the others go back to the hotel?” Baekhyun asked with a yawn, already starting to feel tired. He assumed at least some of them would have come along to bring him to the hospital in the first place, but obviously they weren’t here now.

“Yeah, they didn’t really want to, but the nurse wouldn’t let anyone else come back here since they aren’t family,” Chanyeol explained. “Visiting hours start at eight, I’m sure they’ll all be here then.”

“I see. But… they let you see me?” Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, wondering how Chanyeol had swung that.

“I’m very persuasive,” Chanyeol said, smirking. Baekhyun gave him a disbelieving look, and the smirk dropped into a pout. “Okay, they called your mom and I think she told them I was your boyfriend. The nurse felt bad that your family wasn’t here to stay with you, so she let me.”

“Yeah, that sounds more plausible,” Baekhyun laughed. He stopped after a second though, thinking about what else Chanyeol had said. “Oh… I hope mom doesn’t try to fly out here or something. I’ll be home in a few days anyway, and she and grandma don’t have that kind of money. Knowing her though, she’ll worry too much and do it anyway.”

“I don’t know, maybe you can call her in the morning?” Chanyeol offered. From what he had heard about Baekhyun’s mother, that sounded pretty accurate. “Hopefully she’d wait until then at least.”

“I hope so. I mean… by the time she got here,” Baekhyun yawned again. It was starting to get harder to keep his eyes open, and he blinked a few times. “I probably wouldn’t even… be in the… hospital…”

Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun trailed off, the older man falling asleep mid-sentence. Smiling at that, Chanyeol smoothed the hair away from Baekhyun’s forehead, pressing a soft kiss just below the bandage. Then he took Baekhyun’s hand in his again, resting his head on his other arm on the free edge of the bed. He simply watched Baekhyun sleep for a while, content to see the other man looking so peaceful, until eventually Chanyeol drifted off himself.

Baekhyun awoke a few hours later to the sound of muffled voices coming from the doorway. Still half asleep, he tried to make out who the voices belonged to, not quite wanting to open his eyes yet.

“Tao, will you be a little quieter?” Kris hissed, hand on Tao’s shoulder to keep him from entering the room. “I know you’ve been worried, but they both could use the rest.”

“I know, I am, but… Kyungsoo, come here!” Tao whispered, turning to look behind him to where Kyungsoo and Kai were still standing in the hallway. “How cute are they?”

Kyungsoo peered around the door frame into the room with wide eyes, smiling when he saw Chanyeol asleep on the edge of Baekhyun’s bed. He had been right in thinking Chanyeol wouldn’t leave Baekhyun’s side willingly, even if he was injured and tired himself. “They are, but we should let them sleep. We can go sit in the waiting room and come back to check on them in a bit.”

Recognizing his friends’ voices, and hearing that they were about to leave, Baekhyun finally opened his eyes to let them know he was awake. He smiled tiredly at them, “Hey guys.”

“Baekhyun!” Tao exclaimed, running into the room and to his friend’s bedside. Chanyeol’s head shot up at the yell, and he looked around blearily for the cause of the commotion.

“Oh, visiting hours already?” Chanyeol said, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He looked around, noticing the four others in the room. “Are the others still at the hotel?”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo nodded, walking further into the room. He pulled a chair up next to Chanyeol, while Tao sat on the other side of Baekhyun’s bed. There weren’t enough chairs for everyone, so Kris and Kai just stood at the foot of the bed, closing the door behind them. “Tao wanted to come as soon as visiting hours started, and I figured I’d come and drag Kai along as well. The others couldn’t quite bring themselves to get up so early after last night, but they’ll be here soon I’m sure. We were all so worried about you, Baekhyun.”

“How’re you holding up?” Kai asked. It was casual, but Baekhyun could hear the concern underlying the question; Kai wasn’t as obvious about it as the others, but he was protective of his friends.

“I’m okay,” Baekhyun replied, hoping to reassure his friends. All in all, he really didn’t feel too bad. His ribs ached a bit and his arm didn’t like it when he tried to move it, but his head sure felt better than it had before he fell asleep. “They’ve still got me on pain meds, so it isn’t too bad. The doctor said my head seems alright, though.”

“That’s good.” Kris walked over to where Tao was sitting and leaned on the back of his chair. “So you’ll be out of here soon, then?”

“That’s the plan,” Chanyeol said. He stretched his arms above his head, trying to work out some of the kinks that falling asleep in that position had caused. “Doc said that he wants to check on the concussion again today, but as long as everything looks good there then Baekhyun’s free to go.”

“What are you going to do then?” Tao asked. “Go back to the hotel?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Baekhyun said, shrugging. He lifted his arm to show them. “They said I’ll probably need to get a cast on this when the swelling goes down, but that the splint should do until we go home. Until then I guess I just get to chill at the hotel?”

“I think Suho was saying something last night about trying to get your flights changed to something sooner,” Kris said, trying to remember what the younger leader had been rambling about last night. Once they had left the hospital his calm façade dropped, and he started freaking out like the rest of them, trying to make plans for how they could accommodate Baekhyun. “If you’re up for flying sooner, anyway.”

Baekhyun frowned at that. “But… I don’t want everyone else to cut their trip short on my account.”

“And everyone else doesn’t think you should have to spend the rest of the week recovering at the hotel while we go out and enjoy ourselves,” Kai pointed out. “You should at least get to go home and be comfortable.”

“I’m comfortable here, with all of you,” Baekhyun said, shaking his head. “I appreciate the concern, really, but I want to stay. I can wait a few more days for my own bed, and besides I’ll have Chanyeol to entertain me. And it’s not like I’m totally bedridden either, I can still hang out with you guys – I broke my arm, not my legs.”

“Well, I don’t think you can do that kind of strenuous activity until you heal more…” Tao said, completely serious. It took a moment for Baekhyun to understand what he meant, but when he did his face flushed.

“Tao! That is not the kind of entertainment I meant,” Baekhyun whined. He wanted to hit his friend for that comment, but seeing as Tao was on the side with his bad arm, he settled for flicking his chest.

“What…?” Chanyeol blinked, confused by Baekhyun’s reaction. Strenuous activity… then he understood and he laughed, winking at his boyfriend. “Ohhh. No, I guess that wouldn’t really work. Don’t worry, we’ll find something else fun to do.”

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun’s face got even redder, if that was possible. “Keep teasing and you’ll never have to worry about doing that.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” Chanyeol said, ducking away when Baekhyun did actually try to hit him. Face turning more serious, he took Baekhyun’s hand and brought it to his lips. “You know I’m just playing around, Baekhyun. I love you.”

Blushing for an entirely different reason now, Baekhyun couldn’t help the wide grin that broke out on his face. “I love you too.”

“Aww!” Tao was practically giggling at the pair. “You finally told him. It was so obvious you were head over heels!”

“Leave him alone, Tao,” Kyungsoo said, though he was laughing too. “At least wait until he’s out of the hospital for the teasing. They might think there’s something else wrong with him if you keep making all of his blood rush to his face.”

Chanyeol started laughing at that point, and even Kris was smirking. Baekhyun pouted, “Chanyeol, you of all people are supposed to be on my side.”

“I’m always on your side, Baek,” Chanyeol replied, grinning at his boyfriend. “I can’t help it if you’re adorable when you blush though.”

Baekhyun stopped protesting at that point, realizing that he wasn’t getting anywhere. Secretly though he was happy – it was hard to worry about what happened last night when he was surrounded by the people he loved, laughing and joking. He had no idea how he could have gotten through all of this without them, and he felt incredibly lucky for that.

Within the next hour or so the others had all arrived, all of them relieved to see Baekhyun awake and looking cheerful. They all just talked for a while, focusing on the bright side of things: this mess was all over, and Baekhyun was safe. They were all still curious about what exactly had happened, but no one really wanted to bring it up and ruin the mood, so for now they left the topic alone.

Eventually another nurse came by to chide them all for crowding the patient, even though Baekhyun insisted it was fine. They were forced to go back out to the waiting room though when the doctor showed up, wanting to examine Baekhyun one last time. Thankfully he found no complications, and by the afternoon Baekhyun was allowed to leave, with orders to rest and a prescription for painkillers.

Since they were driving separately anyway, most of the others left while Baekhyun (with Chanyeol’s help) was still filling out paperwork. Baekhyun couldn’t exactly drive in his condition, so Kyungsoo and Kai stayed behind to take the pair back to the hotel when they were done. When they finally arrived at the hotel, Baekhyun and Chanyeol went straight up to their room. They agreed to meet the others for dinner, to explain what exactly happened the night before, but for now they were both very much in need of more rest.

Baekhyun practically collapsed on the bed once they got to the room, immediately regretting it when the awkward facedown landing caused the pain in his ribs to flare up. He couldn’t believe he was so tired just from the walk up to the room, but the whole ordeal had taken a lot out of him. His groan of pain was muffled with his face in the comforter, but Chanyeol understood, hurrying over to help Baekhyun sit up.

“You okay?” Chanyeol asked worriedly. He set up the pillows on the bed so that Baekhyun could lay back comfortably, motioning for the older man to do so.

“Yeah, just hurt a little,” Baekhyun replied. When Chanyeol started trying to take his shoes off for him Baekhyun tried to wave him off, moving to do it himself, but Chanyeol wouldn’t allow it. “I appreciate you trying to help, but you don’t have to do everything for me.”

“Well, I’m going to, so deal with it,” Chanyeol said stubbornly, kicking off his own shoes when he was finished with Baekhyun’s. “You shouldn’t be using your arm anyway, and that would be kind of hard to do one handed. Do you need anything? Food, something to drink…?”

Baekhyun shook his head, patting the bed beside him. “The only thing I need right now is you. I know you didn’t sleep much last night, come lay with me. We both need some rest before dinner.”

Chanyeol complied, climbing onto the other side of the bed and reaching over to turn the lamp off. The two of them had to do a bit of maneuvering, trying to find a way to cuddle that wouldn’t hurt Baekhyun, but they managed to work something out. Baekhyun laid on his uninjured side, back to Chanyeol’s chest, while Chanyeol draped an arm carefully over Baekhyun’s waist below the worst of the bruising.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Baekhyun said quietly. The question had been in the back of his mind since he first woke up in the hospital, but he hadn’t want to ask until they were truly alone, without the possibility of a doctor or nurse overhearing. He felt Chanyeol nod behind him. “Do you… do you know what happened, to my uncle?”

“No, I’m sorry,” Chanyeol replied. He moved his arm up, finding Baekhyun’s hand and lacing their fingers together. “After you fainted, I looked up for a second to see, and he was already gone. Baekhyun… do you want to talk about what happened?”

Baekhyun was silent for a moment, thinking about that. “I don’t know. I’m still kind of processing it, I guess. Though, now that I think about it… we’ll have to tell everyone else at least some of it later, and there are still a few pieces that you don’t even know yet.”

“You mean... with Yunho? And that light?” Chanyeol asked. He had been curious about what exactly had happened there, but it hadn’t been the most pressing issue at the time. “You don’t have to tell me about it yet if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s okay,” Baekhyun said. He wanted Chanyeol to know how he felt. “When that fire surrounded me, I honestly thought for a second that I might really die. But then… I heard uncle Yunho’s voice. He told me that I could break the curse, and that if I did it would give him enough power to stop Heechul. He said that all I had to do was choose; part of me was still holding on to what I felt for Tao, and the other part was scared to admit what I felt for you. That was my greed, what Heechul latched on to. Technically, I was in love with two people, and in order to break the curse I had to choose.”

“And… you chose me?” Chanyeol asked. Baekhyun’s words from the night before made a bit more sense now, though some part of him couldn’t help being surprised. When Baekhyun had first told him about his feelings for Tao, Chanyeol had felt like he would never be able to compare.

“I’m here with you now, aren’t I?” Baekhyun replied, smiling to himself. “I wasn’t just scared for myself back there, you know. Heechul said he wasn’t interested in killing you, but I was so afraid he would anyway when he was done with me. When my uncle said that there was a way to stop him, all I could think was that I had to save you. And when I realized how much the thought of being without you hurt, how unbearable it was, well… I didn’t have to think anymore. I knew then just how much I had fallen in love with you. There was never any choice for me but you, Chanyeol.”

The only reply Baekhyun got at first was a sniffle, impossible to mistake in the otherwise silent room. “Chanyeol… are you crying?”

“N-no,” Chanyeol replied, but the crack in his voice gave him away. “Sorry, I’m just… really happy. Not that you had to go through that, of course, but to hear you say that. When we first met, I never thought I would even have a chance to be your friend… I thought you hated me. Even when we got closer, and I started to realize I was falling for you, I was convinced that I didn’t have a shot. Confessing to you was a spur of the moment thing, I had never really planned on telling you how I felt. But I am so, so glad that I did. It’s cliché, but I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy. So, thank you… thank you for giving me a chance, despite everything.”

“Now you’re going to make me cry,” Baekhyun complained, though his smile had just gotten wider. “I’m glad you told me too, otherwise I may have missed out on something amazing. If anything, I should be the one thanking you, for pulling me out of the hole I had dug myself into. I didn’t know if anything would ever make it better, but you… you changed everything for me. So don’t sell yourself short, because I would have been an idiot not to say yes to you. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Chanyeol whispered, kissing the top of Baekhyun’s head sweetly. They were both quiet after that, not needing anymore words to express how they felt for each other. They drifted off into a peaceful sleep, completely content in each other’s arms.